Chicago, IL, May 5, 2021: The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) is seeking nominations of highly qualified leaders to fill the position of Clinical Informatics Sub-Board Chair which will become vacant in August 2022. Nominees must hold current ABPM certification in Clinical Informatics. The deadline for nominations July 31, 2021. ABPM will select the Clinical Informatics Sub-Board Chair at its January 2022 meeting.

Nominations must be emailed to ABPM’s Executive Director, Christopher J. Ondrula, JD, at [email protected]. Nominations should include the nominee’s CV and a personal statement of interest from the Nominee (maximum of 250 words).

The following criteria should be considered in nomination(s):

1. Nominees must be physicians Certified by the ABPM in Clinical Informatics and hold a currently active, valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in all states, US territories or Canadian Provinces in which the physician is licensed to practice medicine.
2. Nominees should have demonstrated achievement and the potential for continuing contribution to the field of Clinical Informatics. The ideal nominee will have had experience serving on a residency review committee and/or at least one of the ABPM’s initial certification examination item writing subcommittees.
3. The Nominees must be individuals who are able to participate constructively and productively in group settings; have appropriate academic and educational experience; have worked on, or be able to participate in, examination question preparation activities; have demonstrated leadership capabilities in Clinical Informatics and be willing to serve and accept work responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time by the ABPM’s Board of Directors.
4. The Sub-Board Chair attends the ABPM Board of Directors meetings, including at least two in-person meetings per year, usually for a total of six to eight days; and participates in other business the Board routinely conducts via electronic means throughout the year. Accordingly, Nominees must have sufficient flexibility to enable them to actively participate and engage with the Board and the ABPM staff as may be required during the individual’s tenure as the Sub-Board Chair.

The ABPM is a Member Board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Founded in 1948, ABPM works with the ABMS in the development of standards for the ongoing assessment and certification of over 12,000 physicians certified by the ABPM in the Specialties of Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, and in the Subspecialties of Addiction Medicine, Clinical Informatics, Medical Toxicology and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Chicago, IL, March 18, 2021: The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) announced today that the 2021 Clinical Informatics certification examination will follow an updated content outline. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) in collaboration with the ABPM and the American Board of Pathology (ABPath) developed the new content outline designed to reflect the most up to date competencies required of today’s Clinical Informaticians.

“The ABPM is pleased that the 2021 Clinical Informatics certification exam will even more closely mirror the set of competencies, knowledge and skills today’s informaticians rely upon in their day-to-day practice,” said Hernando “Joe” Ortega, Jr., MD, MPH, ABPM’s Board Chair. “We are incredibly thankful for the engagement and effort of our Diplomate experts as well as the leadership of both AMIA and ABPath who collectively put forth the effort necessary to complete the practice analysis which was the precursor to ABPM’s approval of the updated outline for Clinical Informatics. ABPM truly appreciates our close working relationship with AMIA and ABPath, and the success of this endeavor is emblematic of the accomplishments that can be made when we collectively work toward a common goal. We also look forward to future collaborations with AMIA and ABPath on both initial as well as continuing certification programs in Clinical Informatics.”

The updated content outline which will form the foundation for the 2021 Initial Certification Examination in Clinical Informatics is available on both the ABPM’s website at https://www.abpm-us.org/become-certified/exam-content/clinical-informatics-content-outline/ as well as the ABPath website at https://www.abpath.org/index.php/taking-an-examination/subspecialty-certificate-examinations.

The 2021 Initial Certification Examination in Clinical Informatics will be administered by ABPM during the exam window which begins on October 11, 2021 and continues to and including October 31, 2021.

Physicians who are interested in subspecialty certification in Clinical Informatics through the ABPM can learn more about the eligibility requirements at https://www.abpm-us.org/become-certified/subspecialties/clinical-informatics/. Physicians certified through the American Board of Pathology can find requirements for Clinical Informatics subspecialty certification at https://www.abpath.org/index.php/to-become-certified/requirements-for-certification?id=40/.

The ABPM is an ABMS Member Board. Founded in 1948, ABPM works with the ABMS in the development of standards for the ongoing assessment and certification of over 12,000 physicians certified by the ABPM in the specialties of Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine; and in the subspecialties of Addiction Medicine, Clinical Informatics, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Chicago, IL, February 24, 2021: The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) announced today the election of three new Directors to its Board of Directors at its January 2021 meeting.

Joanna Nelms, MD, MPH, will join the Board as an At-Large Member. Dr. Nelms is certified in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Medicine. She earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and her Master of Public Health degree at Wright State University. She currently serves as Chief of Flight Medicine and Physical Standards at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. Dr. Nelms believes her “passion toward fostering recruitment and retention within the specialties of preventive medicine (both in the military and civilian sector) imparts a commitment toward the development and propagation of both the ABPM and greater scope of the preventive medicine field.”

John D. Meyer, MD, MPH will be the ABPM’s newest representative for the Specialty of Occupational Medicine. Dr. Meyer is certified in Occupational Medicine and in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. He earned his medical degree at Cornell University Medical College in New York and his Master of Public Health degree at Boston University School of Public Health. He is the Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Occupational Medicine and the Director of the New York-New Jersey NIOSH Education & Research Center, in the Department of Environmental Medicine & Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In his statement of interest to the Board, Dr. Meyer said, “I see both certification and continuous learning throughout a career as preparing the capacity of trainees and practitioners to address current and future challenges that arise within medicine and within the larger society. I … welcome the opportunity … to work to assure the ongoing and future competency of practitioners in the specialty.”

Tim LaVan, MD, MPH will join the Board representing the Specialty of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. LaVan is certified in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. He completed a residency in family practice at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, FL and a residency in Aerospace Medicine at the Naval Aerospace Medicine Institute and now serves as a Command Flight Surgeon and Aeromedical Instructor at the Naval Safety Center School of Aviation Safety in Pensacola, FL. Dr. LaVan stated that “it is imperative that we attract the best and brightest physicians into our specialty, train them in the best way possible and ensure that board certification in our specialty is a meaningful, significant, and reliable indicator of world-class, professional physicians. I am eager to become a part of this mission.”

The new Directors will begin their three-year terms immediately following the Board of Directors’ meeting in August 2021. “I am very pleased with the quality of candidates we were able to choose from to fill open positions on the Board,” said Hernando “Joe” Ortega, Jr., MD, MPH, ABPM’s Chair. “Drs. Nelms, Meyer, and LaVan are among the best in their field and we are proud to welcome them to the Board. I am confident the future of ABPM is secure in the hands of these dedicated professionals.”

The ABPM is an ABMS Member Board. Founded in 1948, ABPM works with the ABMS in the development of standards for the ongoing assessment and certification of over 12,000 physicians certified by the ABPM in the specialties of Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine; and in the subspecialties of Addiction Medicine, Clinical Informatics, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Chicago, IL, February 24, 2021: The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) announced today that its Longitudinal Assessment Program (LAP) Pilot in Clinical Informatics is on schedule and will launch April 1. All ABPM Diplomates currently Certified in Clinical Informatics are required to participate in the LAP pilot.

During the LAP pilot program, Clinical Informatics Diplomates will answer 12 questions every six months for two years (April 2021 through March 2023). ABPM has contracted with SelfStudy, Inc., to provide the assessment platform and participants will be able to answer the questions online at their convenience during each six-month period. Information gathered during the LAP pilot, including participation data and Diplomate feedback, will then inform the ABPM’s design of an LAP for all ABPM specialties and subspecialties as part of a new continuing certification program. ABPM will not make certification decisions based on a Diplomate’s performance in the LAP pilot; however, all current Diplomates Certified by the ABPM in Clinical Informatics are required to participate in the LAP pilot in “good faith.”

“This is an incredibly exciting development in ABPM’s continuing certification program,” said ABPM Board Chair, Hernando “Joe” Ortega, Jr., MD, MPH. “This is a huge step in creating a more meaningful program that focuses on physician learning and practice improvement as we move away from the high-stakes, traditional recertification exam. We are very pleased to be able to pilot an assessment program that so many of our Diplomates have asked for and we are confident that they will find the platform convenient and easy-to-use, and the LAP a great way to enhance their knowledge in the subspecialty of Clinical Informatics.”

To participate in the pilot program, all Clinical Informatics Diplomates must:

1. Ensure they have registered their Diplomate account on the ABPM’s online Physician Portal and that the contact information in their account is correct. Diplomates who are able to log into the Portal at http://certification.abpm-us.org/login and view their certification information have registered accounts. Diplomates may register their account at https://certification.abpm-us.org/diplomate-registration.
2. Register on the SelfStudy, Inc., LAP platform. SelfStudy will send all eligible Diplomates an email in late March with instructions to register on the platform.

For more information about ABPM’s pilot LAP, please see the ABPM website at https://www.abpm-us.org/longitudinal-assessment-program-lap-pilot/. Diplomates can also reach ABPM Staff at [email protected] with any specific questions about the program.

The ABPM is an ABMS Member Board. Founded in 1948, ABPM works with the ABMS in the development of standards for the ongoing assessment and certification of over 12,000 physicians certified by the ABPM in the specialties of Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine; and in the subspecialties of Addiction Medicine, Clinical Informatics, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

The American Board of Preventive Medicine congratulates Wendy Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd, FACPM, who has been appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to be the Interim Acting Physician General of the State of Pennsylvania. She assumed this new role on January 23, 2021. Dr. Braund also serves as the COVID-19 Response Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Prior to her work for the State of Pennsylvania, Dr. Braund was the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice, Associate Dean for Practice, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She has also served as the Wyoming State Health Officer and Public Health Division Administrator for the Wyoming Department of Health.

Dr. Braund has been a member of ABPM’s Board of Directors since 2014 and is currently the Chair-Elect. She will assume the role of Chair of the Board in August 2021.

The Board and Staff of ABPM offer hearty congratulations to Dr. Braund on this important and exciting new role!

The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) congratulates current ABPM Diplomate and former member of ABPM’s Board of Directors, Susan Northrup, MD, MPH, who has been named by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the next U.S. Federal Air Surgeon. Dr. Northrup previously acted as the Deputy Federal Air Surgeon for the FAA. In her new position, Dr. Northrup will oversee all FAA medical programs.

Dr. Northrup has extensive aeromedical experience as a private pilot and as a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. She is board certified by the ABPM in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Medicine and was a member of the ABPM’s Board of Directors from 2007 to 2016, serving as the ABPM’s Aerospace Medicine Vice Chair from 2013 to 2016.

The Board and Staff of ABPM wish Dr. Northrup all the best in this exciting and well-deserved role!

Chicago, IL, November 30, 2020: The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) jointly announced today the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) approval of a four-year extension of the practice pathway in Addiction Medicine. This extension will allow physicians with substantial experience in the practice of Addiction Medicine, but who have not completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited fellowship in Addiction Medicine, to apply for the Addiction Medicine certification exam through the 2025 Exam Cycle.

“We are very pleased that ABMS recognized the importance of continuing to expand the workforce of ABPM Certified Addiction Medicine specialists at this challenging time,” said ABPM Chair, Hernando “Joe” Ortega, Jr., MD, MPH.  “The opioid crisis our nation has been battling for several years has now been compounded by the pandemic and what will undoubtedly be its lingering effects well beyond 2020. The nation clearly has a critical need for board-certified physicians in Addiction Medicine.  ABPM is proud to work with ASAM and other stakeholders as we shepherd this important subspecialty through its formative years.  As the Graduate Medical Education training system works to establish a robust pipeline for Addiction Medicine subspecialists, this approval ensures that those physicians with extensive Addiction Medicine experience may seek the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge via ABPM’s rigorous certification process.”

ASAM President Paul Earley, MD, DFASAM, concurred saying, “ASAM appreciates that its strong working relationship and shared purpose with ABPM was instrumental in the successful extension of the ABPM’s practice pathway in Addiction Medicine.  The pandemic has not only increased the need for board certified specialists but has also prevented otherwise-qualified physicians from pursuing certification due to overwhelming COVID-19 related workloads. Extending the practice pathway an additional four years to allow more experienced physicians to obtain ABPM Certification was a crucial step in the continuing fight against addiction in the United States.”

The ABPM’s application cycle opens in the Spring of each year, with the final deadline to submit applications in mid-summer. The ABPM administers the certification exams once per year, in the Fall. For updated deadlines and exam dates, please refer to the ABPM website: www.theabpm.org.

The ABPM is an ABMS Member Board. Founded in 1948, ABPM works with the ABMS in the development of standards for the ongoing assessment and certification of over 12,000 physicians certified by the ABPM in the specialties of Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine; and in the subspecialties of Addiction Medicine, Clinical Informatics, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.

Chicago, IL, August 19, 2020 – The American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) announced today that it has appointed Wendy E. Braund, MD, MPH, MSEd, as the Chair-Elect to the ABPM Board of Directors. Dr. Braund will serve in this role until the conclusion of the ABPM’s Mid-Year Board Meeting in August 2021, at which time she will assume the position as Chair of the ABPM’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Braund is the COVID-19 Response Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, a position she began in July 2020. Prior to that, Dr. Braund was the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice, the Associate Dean for Practice, and a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She has been a member of the ABPM Board of Directors since 2014.

“On behalf of the Board, I am very pleased to announce Dr. Braund’s appointment as Chair-Elect,” said Board Chair, Hernando “Joe” Ortega, Jr., MD, MPH. “Her passion for Preventive Medicine and her tireless service to the Board thus far was a clear indicator that Dr. Braund will be a capable and effective leader as the ABPM transitions our current maintenance of certification program to an innovative, relevant and flexible continuing certification process.”

Dr. Braund responded: “I want to take this opportunity to thank the Board for their confidence.  I look forward to working with Dr. Ortega over the next year to learn the nuances of this role and I am very excited about the prospects for the ABPM as we continue to execute on our strategic vision and move forward into an exciting future of opportunities and growth.”

Dr. Braund’s term as Chair-Elect began at the conclusion of the ABPM’s Interim Board Meeting in August 2020.

The ABPM is a Member Board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Founded in 1948, ABPM works with the ABMS in the development of standards for the ongoing assessment and certification of over 12,000 physicians certified by the ABPM in the specialties of Aerospace Medicine, Occupational Medicine, and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine; and in the subspecialties of Addiction Medicine, Clinical Informatics, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine.